Facebook is the largest social media platform in the world today. There are over 1.4 billion active users each month! (HubSpot.com) From a business perspective, there are now over 3 million active businesses advertising on Facebook! (SocialMediaToday.com). Because there are so many business Facebook pages, business owners are constantly looking for ways to make their page standout. This article outlines many tips to help improve your brand on Facebook.

Choose Profile Photos Carefully

Your profile picture should be one that is easily recognizable by your potential fans. It should be simple and not complex, but with enough detail to distinguish you as a brand. You want people to recognize your business from your logo when they search for you on Facebook. Likewise, your background cover photo should be an extension of your brand. Wether it be a photo of your store, samples of your product, or a portrait of your services, it should be a high quality photo. The profile picture should be 180x180 pixels and the background photo should be 851x315 pixels.

Add Links to Photo Descriptions

Each photo you upload to Facebook has the option to add descriptions to it. This is even true of your profile and background pictures. In these photos, add a link to your website or blog. This might help your SEO by adding inbound links, but it provides easy access for people to get to your website if they click on your photos. You can use custom links through your Google analytics to track each inbound link you have to your website. These are called UTM links, and more information can be found HERE. UTM links are important if you want to know which links are working better than others and driving the most traffic to your website.

70-20-10 Rule

This is a rule promoted by Cafe Quill that states how much of your Facebook posts should consist of particular content.

70% of your posts should come from your brand and add value to your community. For example, you could include business tips, show photos from recent company events, promote local news about your business, or ask survey questions.

20% of your posts should consist of content from others. For example, you could promote other business' events, tag other business in a post, or even share a post from another business page.

10% of your posts should be promotional. For example, you could let your audience know about any sales happening, new product lines you are offering, or any introductions to products/services.

Utilize The Call To Action Button

Facebook introduced a new feature in December of 2014 called the Call To Action button (CTA). This allows you to insert 1 of 7 pre-made call to action buttons to your background cover photo. Your Facebook should have a purpose, and these buttons allow you to set what interaction you want individuals to do on your page. You can choose from: Sign Up, Shop Now, Contact Us, Book Now, Watch Video, Play Game, or Use App. You can put a link on the buttons that sends people to a destination on or off Facebook. These CTA buttons offer insights and can track data on performance, so you can know for certain how many people are clicking on your CTA button.

Post The Perfect Post

The way to interact with people is through posting on Facebook. You can post about virtually anything you want. But to have a successful post, you need to keep a few guidelines in mind. For more information on posting on Facebook, check out Eric Spellman's website. Your Facebook post should have:

A Photo - A picture is worth a thousand words. We have all heard that. But to be honest, some photos I see I cannot think of 10 words to describe it. The point is, people are more attracted to pictures and photos. This is true is social media. You should try and post an appropriate picture with every post, either a picture from your iPhone or a stock photo from a Think Stock account.

Information - A post needs to have relevant information. You cannot just upload a photo with no description. Even if you have text on your photo, you need to write out words in your post.

Call to Action/Invitation to Interact - I hear people say all the time, "No one is liking my Facebook page or post!" There may be many issues going on with your Facebook page, but have you ever tried asking? Your post should elicit a call to action. This could be liking the post, sharing the picture, leaving a review, tell your friends, visit our website, or even something as simple as enjoy your day. You want your audience to do something after seeing the post. Much like the CTA button on your cover photo, you want to give your audience a call to action.

Like The Comments

Your goal on Facebook should be interaction. So when someone comments or leaves you a review on your business Facebook page, you need to respond positively. You should like every comment that someone leaves you on your post. Someone took the time to type out that comment or review, so acknowledge it! That individual may be more likely to interact again on your page and may be motivated to share your business with his or her friends. In regards to responding to negative comments or reviews, do not retaliate eye for an eye. Your job is now to put water over the Public Relations flame. I am not saying to take the blame for whatever the individuals are complaining about, but rather be empathetic and give a positive response that is not too short or too long.

Like and Review Other Pages

According to Entrepreneur.com, "The more you like someone’s posts the more of their posts you will see -- and they will see more of your posts." Go to some local businesses and start liking their page and posts. Remember to like their page as your business and as your individual profile. To like a business page as your business, click on the 3 dots near the top right of the business Facebook page and click "Like As Your Page."